The leadership of the Board of Education for the Blair Oaks R-2 school district remained mostly unchanged Tuesday night, and the board will have to contemplate in the coming months how it wants to pursue raising the money needed for a new high school.
Blair Oaks did not have a board member election this April - incumbents Bill Duke and Kevin Ward ran unopposed for two available seats.
The board also voted to retain President Peggy Luebbert, Treasurer Nicki Russell and Secretary Sheila Reinsch in their positions - Reinsch is a non-voting member. John Weber was voted Tuesday by the board to be vice president.
Another item also not on the April ballot was a bond issue proposal for a new high school. The district didn't have the bonding capacity available to ask voters for the projected $14 million worth of bonds needed.
The board heard an informational presentation by two representatives of St. Louis-based L.J. Hart & Company on Tuesday in a work session before their regular meeting on options the board has for such a bond issue in the near future - April 2019.
L.J. Hart's President and Chief Financial Officer Tom Pisarkiewicz and Assistant Vice President Sarah Buczkiewicz shared with the board that the district's debt service levy could be raised 30 cents this summer by the board - which would mean asking voters for a no-tax increase bond issue next April and then another smaller no-tax increase bond issue in 2023 - or the board could leave the decision to raise the local tax levy 30 cents entirely up to voters, making next April's ballot issue a tax increase one, still followed later by a no-tax increase issue.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both options - the advantage of a 30-cent increase sooner rather than later being that the district could make a larger prepayment to pay down its debt faster, which could ultimately mean the second bond issue for the second phase of the new high school project could be larger, Superintendent Jim Jones explained.
However, Jones also said the board has never increased the levy without voters' approval.
Whether they are given a chance to approve raising the levy, voters would have to approve a bond issue either way.
"I think we need to let people be involved," Luebbert said, signaling a hesitancy to raise the debt service levy 30 cents this year before the election.
Jones said between now and August - when the board would likely have to make a decision either way - the board will be engaged with the community to explain the pros and cons of either option; no decision was made Tuesday night.
The information from L.J. Hart showed a 30-cent increase to make the district's debt service levy $1.21 in the fiscal year for 2018-19 would mean a $14 million no-tax increase bond issue in April 2019 and then a $4.75 million bond issue in 2023.